Google Ads can put your business in front of people at the exact moment they search for what you sell. It can also spend your budget on clicks from people who were never going to buy. The difference comes down to a few fundamentals: tight targeting, relevant ads, a strong landing page and accurate tracking. This guide walks you through launching a first campaign that's set up to be profitable.
Step 1: Work out what a customer is worth
Before spending anything, know your numbers:
| Number | Example |
|---|---|
| Average order or project value | £1,200 |
| Profit margin | 40% (£480) |
| Lead-to-customer rate | 25% |
| Maximum you can pay per lead and break even | £120 |
This tells you whether a campaign is working, regardless of clicks or impressions.
Step 2: Choose the right campaign type
| Campaign type | Shows ads on | Good for |
|---|---|---|
| Search | Google search results | Capturing people actively searching; best starting point |
| Performance Max | Search, YouTube, Display, Gmail, Maps | Broad reach once tracking is solid |
| Shopping | Product listings in search | E-commerce stores |
| Display | Websites and apps | Awareness and remarketing |
| Video | YouTube | Awareness and storytelling |
| Demand Gen | YouTube, Discover, Gmail | Generating interest visually |
For most service businesses, a Search campaign is the best first step.
Step 3: Research keywords
Focus on searches that show buying intent:
| Intent | Example | Priority |
|---|---|---|
| High | "emergency plumber leeds" | Bid on these first |
| Medium | "plumber near me prices" | Test |
| Low | "how to fix a leaking tap" | Usually avoid for paid search |
Match types
- Exact match: closest control; ads show for searches with the same meaning
- Phrase match: searches that include the meaning of your phrase
- Broad match: related searches; works best with strong conversion tracking and smart bidding
Negative keywords
Add terms you don't want to pay for, such as "free", "jobs", "DIY" or "course". Review the search terms report weekly and keep adding negatives.
Step 4: Structure the campaign
- Group keywords into tightly themed ad groups, such as one per service
- Write ads specific to each group
- Send each group to the most relevant landing page
Step 5: Write ads that earn the click
Responsive search ads combine multiple headlines and descriptions. Include:
- The service and location
- A clear benefit or differentiator
- Proof, such as reviews or years in business
- A specific call to action
- Assets (formerly extensions): sitelinks, callouts, call buttons and structured snippets
Step 6: Build a matching landing page
The ad gets the click; the landing page earns the conversion. It should match the ad's message, load fast on mobile, show proof and make the next step obvious. Our guide to landing page elements that convert explains each piece.
Step 7: Set up conversion tracking
Track the actions that matter: form submissions, calls, bookings or purchases. Without accurate tracking, Google optimises for clicks and you can't judge profitability. Our GA4 beginner's guide and our guide to UTM parameters cover the basics.
Step 8: Choose a bidding strategy
| Strategy | When to use it |
|---|---|
| Maximise clicks | Very early testing only |
| Manual CPC | When you want close control while learning |
| Maximise conversions | Once conversion tracking is reliable |
| Target CPA | When you have enough conversion data and a clear cost-per-lead goal |
| Target ROAS | E-commerce with revenue tracking |
Step 9: Launch, monitor and improve
| When | What to review |
|---|---|
| Daily, first week | Spend, obvious irrelevant searches, disapproved ads |
| Weekly | Search terms, negatives, ad performance, cost per lead |
| Monthly | Budget allocation, landing page conversion rate, new ad tests |
Common beginner mistakes
- Running broad match without negatives or tracking
- Sending all traffic to the homepage
- Leaving location targeting too wide
- Changing everything at once, so you can't tell what worked
- Judging success on clicks instead of profitable leads
SEO or Google Ads?
Paid search brings results quickly; SEO builds traffic you don't pay for per click. Most businesses benefit from both. Our article on SEO vs PPC helps you decide where to start.
Example campaign structure for a local service business
| Campaign | Ad group | Example keywords | Landing page |
|---|---|---|---|
| Search – Emergency | Emergency plumber | "emergency plumber leeds", "24 hour plumber leeds" | Emergency service page |
| Search – Boilers | Boiler repair | "boiler repair leeds", "boiler engineer near me" | Boiler repair page |
| Search – Boilers | Boiler installation | "new boiler leeds", "boiler installation cost" | Boiler installation page |
| Search – Brand | Brand terms | "[business name]" | Homepage |
Each ad group has its own ads and landing page, which keeps messages relevant and makes performance easy to compare.
Reading your first month's results
| What you see | What it might mean | What to try |
|---|---|---|
| High clicks, few conversions | Irrelevant searches or weak landing page | Review search terms; improve the page |
| Low impressions | Budget, bids or keywords too narrow | Broaden keywords or raise budget |
| High cost per click | Competitive keywords | Focus on more specific, high-intent terms |
| Good conversions, limited by budget | Campaign is working | Increase budget gradually |
| Conversions not recorded | Tracking problem | Test conversion tracking end to end |
Give a campaign enough time and data before making big changes, but act quickly on wasted spend from irrelevant searches.
How we help
Our paid search and social team builds and manages campaigns around your margins, with landing pages and tracking set up properly from day one.
The short version
Know what a customer is worth, start with a focused Search campaign, target high-intent keywords with sensible match types and negatives, write specific ads, use matching landing pages, track conversions accurately, choose bidding that fits your data and review search terms every week.
